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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. march — the month
  3. mate — to breed
  4. fine — all right
  5. court — of a king
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. craft — boats
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mate — a partner
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cold — an illness
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. craft — a skill
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pitch — completely

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com